Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To describe mechanisms of the accident, morphologic findings and fonctional outcome of rupture of the globe after cataract surgery Methods: Prospective analysis of 18 patients (18 eyes), who were treated between 1996 to 2000 in our department. The mean observation period was 1.4 years. Results: The majority of patients were female (77 %). 17 of the 18 patients were older than 75 years. Traumata occurred after fall (n=12), punch (n=3), hitting a hard object with the head (n=2) and air bag use in a car (n=1). All patients had undergone a lens extraction previously. 15 had received a posterior chamber lens, in 3 patients location of the previously implanted lens could not be determined. In 5 patients a fracture of the bone was associated with the injury. Morphologically we found corneal injuries (n=1), corneoscleral injuries (n=6) and injuries parallel to the limbus (n=11), hyphema (n=18), traumatic aniridia (n=8), vitreous prolapse (n=13) and retinal detachment (n=14). The best corrected visual acuity remained in half of the patients below 0,1. Two eyes were enucleated. A vitreous prolapse and a retinal detachment proved to be prognostic factors predicting limited visual acuity outcome. Conclusions: Traumatic rupture of the globe after previous cataract extraction is a serious injury occurring mostly in older and multimorbid patients. Information of patients and their families about risks of traumatic events when falling, and possibly a change in the home environment might be able to lower the number of patients with traumatic globe rupture.
Keywords: trauma • wound healing • cataract